(Not Applicable)
Disclosure Document No. 414416 Feb. 18, 1997
(Not Applicable)
1. Field of Invention
Referring to disclosure Document No. 414416, of Feb. 18, 1997, this invention concerns an apparatus specifically designed to offer four combined, gentle, yet effective, exercise movements for:
a) The immediate relief from back muscle pain and tension;
b) The improvement of rotary, frontal and posterior mobility of the pelvis;
c) The improvement of general flexibility of the spine;
d) The strengthening and developing of spinal, abdominal and lumbar muscles;
e) The spinal awareness and posture self-correction.
f) The improvement of blood circulation throughout the back of the body.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
More than 90 Million Americans suffer from some form of back pain. Most common pathologies are located in the lower back of the body. To date, there is no comprehensive exercising fitness or therapeutic apparatus that can rehabilitate the back, effectively relieve pain, muscle tension and stiffness, especially of the lower back regionxe2x80x94often under tension or left inactive, due to bad posture and lack of exercise.
There are basically three exercise movements accomplished by existing devices and apparatuses for helping with back problems, but they are often ineffective and counterproductive. They are:
i) The rotation of the torso or the twisting movement of the spine;
ii) The frontal bending of the torso (so-called xe2x80x9cstomach crunchxe2x80x9d);
iii) The posterior bending of the torso (so-called xe2x80x9cback extensionxe2x80x9d); and
iv) The spinal posterior flexion (so-called xe2x80x9cspinal archingxe2x80x9d).
While all four movements are intended for exercising the abdominal and lumbar muscles as well as providing flexibility to the spine, wrong application of force to the spine, vertebral compression, and the lack of protection for the natural curvature of the spine forced by these devices, substantially reduce the therapeutic benefits of the exercises. Moreover, devices designed to achieve pelvis mobility also have detrimental effects by putting unnecessary strain on the pelvis and on the spinal column as a whole.
Alternatively, these four movements can be seen from a different perspective and improved. The device can accommodate the body in such way as for the exercises to be performed naturally and non-strenuously. These movements are therapeutically beneficial when they are localized, when stress and friction especially to the weakest point of the back are removed. The exercise device should provide gradual, gentle aid toward self-rehabilitation, toward repairing or rebuilding muscle and cartilage fibers of the spine.
i) All devices currently used for therapeutic purposes, designed for torso rotation exercises that force this movement to the spine against some resistance, both in the standing position, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,924 (Anzaldua et al) and in the sitting position, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,245 (Baldwin); U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,860 (Staffee); U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,680 (Wu) have questionable therapeutic effects for the following reasons:
A) In such positions all vertebrae of the spine are under compression by the gravitational weight of the head, which accounts for almost ⅔""s of one""s body weight. Thus damage may result to cartilage, ligaments, contributing to the deterioration of arthritis-affected vertebrae, and to intervertebral slipped disk in the worst of cases;
B) In virtually all apparatuses that offer this type of exercise, the initial force of the rotation is initiated by the arms and shoulders instead by isolated action of the lower muscles themselves. This is a way to transfer the arms"" entire force to the lower back which becomes the fulcrum, thus causing stress to vertebral cartilage and ligaments.
C) There is nothing in these devices that provides support and proper posture during rotation, i.e., that assures the ideal gravitational position of the spine, allowing it to transfer the weight of the head to the ground effortlessly without vertebral friction.
ii) There is currently no therapeutic device that specifically helps pelvis mobility by isolating pelvis movement. Virtually all devices in existence are designed to to exercise and to strengthen the abdominal muscles by offering resistance to the forward and rearward motion of the torso, without taking into account the natural dynamics of the body:
a) No mobility therapy of the pelvis and no flexibility therapy of the spine can be achieved under vertebral compression of and muscle stress;
b) Being the force initiated by the shoulders, the pelvis becomes the fulcrum, namely, the central exertion point;
c) Indeed, abdominal and lumbar muscles need no expansion, but firmness and flexibility. In the first and most common instance, as in athlete""s cases, when abdominal muscles are stronger, but are not compensated by lumbar erector muscles, especially under excessive stress, an imbalance may bring about muscles spasms; in the second and less common instance when both the abdominal and lumbar muscles are out of shape or inactive, rupture or hernia problems may occur.
Such are the following devices: U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,089 (Jones); U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,126 (Grotstein); U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,473 (Safani et al); U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,619 (Rockwell et al); U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,144 (Rockwell); etc.
iii) Virtually, all devices currently used for therapeutic purposes, intended to exercise and to strengthen the lower back lumbar and spinal muscles by offering resistance to rearward movement of the torso, such as those cited above (ii), although less risky, may still produce likewise damages:
a) Some devices do offer a back rest, but it is often set at shoulder level, while support is needed for the lower backs. Prima Facie an exception could be made for U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,863 (Mc Arthur et al) which has two pivotal axes and two hip attachments, but the uncoordinated articulation of the two eventually contributes to stress even more the lower muscles and vertebral joints;
b) Being the point of contact located in the shoulder area, excessive exertion leverage and stress is again transferred to the lower spine""s weakest points;
c) Finally, being this movement naturally initiated by the upper muscles of the neck and shoulders excessive force is applied to the cervical vertebrae.
iv) Virtually all devices currently used for therapeutic purposes, designed to arch the spinal column with the application of mechanical force, may produce adverse effects. Such are U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,534 (Parviavien); U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,706 (Lee); U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,247 (Lepley); U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,272 (Hussey); U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,999 (Thornton).
a) Presently, there are no sufficient scientific applicable data that support the use of corrective mechanical means to restore cartilage support and elasticity. Cartilage cannot be repaired easily. Corrective spinal practices and cartilage regeneration must therefore be gradual and self-perpetuated. The application of corrective mechanical force can only account for risk of spinal deterioration. The natural curvature of the spine and spine flexibility can be achieved in most cases with exercises that use the body""s weight and the body""s capacity to correct itself through spinal awareness, as in yoga practice.
c) Physical awareness is basically a spontaneous memory that is built by repetitive, gentle action to the interested part of the body. There is virtually no therapeutic apparatus or device that helps achieve spinal awareness, in ways for the subject to build such a subconscious memory to attempt self-correction of spinal posture.
The Combined Therapeutic Exercise Apparatus for the Back (CTEAB) fills important needs in this era of fitness science. It overcomes several deficiencies of the existing therapeutic exercise devices developed so far. In sum, the apparatus features a gentle and soothing combination of four back exercises that instantly relieve most symptoms of stiffness, muscle spasms, which can be organized into an effective therapy program for back recovery and rehabilitation.
The apparatus offers eight novel and important features which are the objects of invention with respect to the four basic back exercises:
The 1st feature consists in the novel approach of back exercising that allows the user to perform the four basic exercises from an ideal position of the body, and that is, by lying down on a horizontal position, on the anatomically shaped cushioning of the bench""s main frame; isolating and localizing the exercise action on the most commonly affected area, namely, the lower back, by having both legs raised, resting on the adjustable leg-rest and having the feet resting on the adjustable foot-rest.
In this position all muscles of the body are relaxed; all gravity forces that compress the vertebrae or stress the muscles, in the standing or sitting positions, are eliminated; the body""s own weight allows the spine to rest with anatomically correct posture. In addition, the blood circulation, due to the raised legs, is also improved.
The 2nd feature consists in providing a leg swinging mechanism that allows a localized lower back rotation exercise, starting not from the shoulder, but from the lower back muscles and from the pelvis themselves, free from vertebral compression, for greater muscles movement, spinal flexibility and pelvis mobility.
The exercise, so performed, is gentle, yet very effective. The force applied on the lower back is better felt and better controlled by the subject when all the vertebrae of the spine are relieved of the gravitational, compressive force.
The resistance to the lumbar muscles is provided by a frontal stack of weights, which gradually may induce additional work, seen as fiber-force producing and exertion+contraction. The effectiveness of the exercise consists in the repetitive progressive sequences executed preferably in slow motion. The exercise engages the outer thigh muscles the iliotibial bands and the inner abductors. More in particular, the force is localized in the deep erectors, the sacro spinales, the posterior layers of the lumbar region and with progressive diminution in the longissimus thoracis, the iliocostalis, and upwards from the lumbar triangle to the oblique externs, the serratus, the spleniuses trasversus, and the trapezoids. The important task of the swinging mechanism is that it exercises all muscles of the back with force originating from the lower back itself, thus harmoniously producing alternatively force and counterforce.
This gentle, free exercise also stretches, with proportionate action, the ligaments and cartilage of all 33 vertebrae of the spine, in likewise manner from the pelvis to the skull, especially when the subject proceeds in turning the head 90 degrees, to the opposite side at each swing of the legs. The stretching of intervertebral cartilage, of the spinal nerve and of the entire sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve system, has a soothing effect and an immediate relief to pain and stiffness. Muscle spasms, due to strain, common to most athletes, are in this way quickly eliminated and in most cases, athletes may resume the sport activity almost immediately unless fiber rupture has occurred.
The 3rd feature consists in providing a pivotal lever mechanism with swiveling weight stacks for exercising all the muscles of the lower back and to help pelvis mobility, risk free from hernia problems.
Performed with common devices, a similar exercise of bending the torso forwardly when considerably weight resistance is applied, known as the xe2x80x9cstomach crunch,xe2x80x9d in the wrong position and without proper protection, may be very detrimental to the lower back muscles. With the CTEAB, this exercise is greatly improved because performed with legs in elevated position and because proper spinal support is provided. The pivoting mechanism, having its axis directly below the pelvis, greatly contributes to the body""s natural dynamics, to muscle synchrony and to obtain the most benefits out of the torso bending exercise.
The 4th feature consists in providing a pivotal lever exercise mechanism that allows the swiveling of the weight stacks forwardly for increased pelvis mobility; for safe and effective lumbar and spinal erector muscles rehabilitation and development, risk free from rupture and hernia problems, since the spine curvature during the exercise is properly supported and both the subject""s legs are in a raised position. With the stacks in the forward position, gravity force helps towards greater mobility of the pelvis, while strengthening the back lumbar and erector muscles during the return to the resting position. (After this exercise the subject can better bend over to touch his/her toes).
The 5th feature is providing a padded adjustable roller assembly with springs to support and massage the neck muscles; as well as to protect the delicate cervical vertebrae during the lower back bending forward and extension exercises.
The 6th feature is providing a set of roller embodiment with springs to suit all body sizes, anatomically juxtaposed, for spinal curvature and muscle support during the bending forward and back extention exercises; for massaging the entire back; for building spinal awareness; and for self-correction of spinal posture. Thus a gentle pressure against the spine is exercised from the neck down to the pelvis areaxe2x80x94pressure being proportionate to the amount of weight applied on the stacks.
The 7th feature is providing an anatomical cushioning device that accommodates the buttocks and the lower back, providing back support during said movements, yet gently stretching intervertebral cartilage and ligaments for spinal postural correctness and flexibility.
The 8th feature is providing said set of roller embodiment for improved blood circulation and a general well-being that massages the entire back.